THE Chancellor's pre-election bonuses for pensioners were branded "gesture politics" and "glamorous distractions" by sceptical campaigners.

Help the Aged said that while the announcement of free local bus travel for all OAPs was a welcome surprise, Mr Brown's offerings were essentially a "cash bribe" to the elderly which failed to meet their real needs.

In a Budget seen as a concerted attempt to woo the grey vote ahead of a general election, the Chancellor also promised every pensioner household a headline- grabbing £200 council tax refund.

And he pledged to end the system under which elderly people have their pensions docked if they stay in hospital for more than a year.

But Help the Aged's Mervyn Kohler accused Mr Brown of focusing on peripheral issues, instead of tackling the crucial areas of "ailing" social care services and reform of the pensions system.

"We're dealing with some glamorous distractions rather than the main meat and drink of what pensioners' politics are all about," he said.

"There's a certain amount of gesture politics here ahead of a general election."

Rosie Adams, 61, of Age Positive Cymru, met the Chancellor's announcements with indifference.

She runs a small business in Pembrokeshire and said, "I think the council tax is quite good but I don't feel greatly enamoured by this Budget.

"I suppose free bus passes for the rest of the UK is good for those people who use the bus, but in Pembrokeshire bus service aren't really that adequate.

"I live in the town where I work but I don't really use public transport.